• Brussels court jails three men for kidnapping crypto investor’s wife.

• Stephane Winkel’s family forced to move after a traumatic crypto abduction.

• Tough sentences send a warning as crypto crime risks gain the spotlight.

A high-profile crypto kidnapping case in Belgium has ended with strong prison sentences for three men. On Thursday, a Brussels criminal court sentenced the trio to 12 years each for the abduction of the wife of blockchain investor Stephane Winkel. This outrageous case is not the only one that demonstrates how crypto wealth can lure dangerous criminals in Europe.

Crypto Educator Winkel Forced to Relocate After Kidnapping Ordeal

The kidnapping occurred in December 2024 at the outside of the house of Winkel. Prosecutors told the court that the three men kidnapped the wife of Winkel and took her to a van with French plates. Then they raced along to the seaside. Winkel, a well-known player in the crypto scene, immediately called the police. The local police officers did not hesitate and pushed the van out of the road in Bruges. The three men were arrested inside by officers. There is a juvenile offender who is also charged in juvenile court and is a teenager who was suspected of having participated in the plan.

Winkel does not represent an ordinary investor. He is the owner of the Crypto Academie and crypto sun whereby people can be educated about cryptocurrency. He owns a YouTube channel as well and has about 40,000 subscribers. That is where he provides free training and advice on crypto investment. Most people know his name due to his work in the public.

The court did not acknowledge the argument of the kidnappers that they were compelled to do it. According to them, they were being threatened, and the judges did not buy this justification. The court also said that the chief perpetrators of the crime may remain on the loose. Nonetheless, the stiff sentencing is a strong message that such crimes cannot be condoned.

Unfortunately, the kidnapping had a huge impact on Winkel and his family. It is reported that they were shaken so much that they had to relocate to defend themselves. In the case of Winkel, what would have become an ordinary day in the month of December became a nightmare that could have been worse.

Brussels Court Sends Tough Message on Rising Crypto Crimes

This crime is not an isolated event. Europe, and France in particular, has seen more kidnappings connected to crypto wealth. For example, in Juvisy-sur-Orge, a TikTok star aged 26 was kidnapped by four men outside Paris. They had a request of 50,000 in crypto. They released him when they understood that his crypto wallet did not have money.

Other ones are even more violent. The father of a rich crypto investor was kidnapped and mutilated because the criminals needed 7 million euros in ransom. There was also the daughter of the CEO of a Paris crypto exchange named Paymium. She was being grabbed by the attackers, but the passers-by and her partner succeeded in halting the attackers in time.

France has documented the most instances of confirmed crypto kidnappings—six compared to the 22 known kidnappings in the world last year. According to experts, this means that criminals have ready targets due to the combination of big names in crypto investing and active public social media posts.

The Brussels court emphasized that such crimes should be severely punished as a lesson to others. Investors in crypto all over are discovering that becoming public might deliver risks that they do not want. Most end up employing bodyguards or concealing their affluence.

The sentences can bring some justice to Stephane Winkel and his family. However, the fact that they were scared is now a lesson that the crypto industry can be associated with actual risks and dangers.